Did Jeff Davis tell his wife to get herself killed, rather than be taken alive?

Yes. How do we know?

She told us.

Force your assailants to kill you.Force your assailants to kill you.This is from her book -- not what someone else wrote, she is the author. She wrote it. Just like she wrote the letter revealing his cowardice (see below) Varina wrote this book.Varina was very careful what she wrote in her book. She also wrote a letter, a private letter shown below, revealing Jeff Davis own cowardice upon his capture.

Varina tells the Blairs that she told the soldiers Davis was her mother.

WELL KNOWN

Jeff Davis wife's letter in Library of CongressContrary to what many "historians" repeat, often smugly so, Jeff Davis reports of running away in a dress was not some "Northern newspaper" thing.In fact, the first newspaper to report it was from Macon Georgia, hardly a Northern paper.More, Varina Davis, his own wife, wrote a letter inadvertently confirming, essentially, everything the Union soldiers reported. Yes, the Union officers wrote very detailed reports, and they reported Davis wore female clothing and was running away.Interestingly, the Union soldiers only mentioned the dress, and his running away in a sentence or two. Varina wrote about his female garments in several paragraphs. Plus, Jeff Davis own nephew, also at the capture, wrote about his disguise as a woman.You won't get that information from those who claim Davis was dressed in some kind of "errant garment" that the newspapers exaggerated for effect. They probably have no clue, and are just repeating others._____________________________________DAVIS NEVER CLAIMED AN ERRANT GARMENT...Also interestingly, Davis never claimed he had on an "errant garment" like so many others. Davis was very clear, he wore is own manly clothes, and nothing else.In fact, Davis had his picture taken IN THOSE CLOTHES. As one historian said, Davis was "obsessed" about proving he wore only his normal clothing and was protecting his children. Davis even had his clothes bequeathed to be shown after his death, to further prove that is what he wore- - his manly clothes.Obediently, the Museum of the Confederacy now shows Davis clothes -- the one he claimed to have worn (no, he wore his wife's dress).Of course Varina's letter and book -- revealing Davis cowardice in her letter -- are well known to historians. The authenticity is not in doubt whatsoever. Yet no Southern "historians" or apologist mention her letter in an honest way -- nor could they. To show her book and letter together show a "rather creepy" coward who eagerly sent others to their death, even his wife, but when he was in peril, he ran away, leaving his wife and children to their fate.How can you admit that? Shelby Foote, who was one of the worst people possible to help Ken Burns on Civil War documentary, was especially dishonest about anything to do with Davis, whom he worshiped. Sadly, for over 100 years, if anyone quotes Varina's letter, they quote her selectively, and never give you any hint she wrote very clearly that Davis was running away, that he had on three layers of female garments, and that she told the soldiers Davis was her mother.Varina's letter, if you quote it selectively, does say Davis wore no disguise, committed no subterfuge..... but then she describes his disguise, even calls it a disguise, and describes his cowardly actions.Varina was clearly hurried when she wrote the letter, frantic for the Blair's help, which she received. IT'S MY MOTHER The most important part of her letter:

Varina tells the Blairs that she told the soldiers Davis was her mother.____________________________________________ALWAYS PROTECTED DAVIS Varina's goal was always to protect Davis -- physically she protected him the day of his capture, as you will see from her own words, and corroborating written evidence by others who took part in Davis capture. Varina, according to the soldiers and her letter to Blairs, ran between Davis and the Union soldiers, and then told the soldiers Davis was her mother.She even adds she held Davis to her, and that the soldiers demanded to know who Davis was. Their curses were vile, she wrote, and the promised to kill Davis.Bravery beyond measure -- Varina- - according to her -- told the soldier if he had to shoot someone SHOOT HER -- but leave her mother alone.The Union soldiers confirmed that. Every Union soldier that saw Varina do this forever respected her, and forever considered Davis a pathetic coward. Davis would not speak, so a Union soldier simply reached over and pulled off the head covering, which had made him look enough like a woman (along with the dress) that Davis could pass for a woman if no one pulled that head covering off.

The point is, facts SHE revealed not only show Davis told her to get herself killed, also show Davis ran away in her dress.

If Varina has not written that letter, if she had never said or written that he wore his own clothes and was brave, that would have kept the secret. You could have rational dispute over whether the soldiers and newspapers and nephew all lied.But Varina wrote the letter. She told the Blairs what she told the soldiers -- THATS MY MOTHER.The soldiers said she tried to pass off Davis as her mother. So no, the soldiers did not lie. Varina essentially confirmed every fact -- and went into more detail than they did -- about his female clothing. She would never come out and say it was her dress, but the details she did reveal were overwhelming.He sure as hell did not have on his own clothes.And no -- no -- he did not have on an "errant ratigan" as some claimed. Davis himself never claimed any such ratigan. Davis himself claimed he acted heroically and was in his own manly clothes. He was very clear, very specific. He wore his own clothes, and only his own clothes. Not some errant ratigan.In other words, some tried to give Davis an excuse he never claimed. Davis claimed to be heroic, he claimed he was near his children protecting them.He was nowhere near those children.He was not protecting anyone.But Varina, to her credit, would never lie. She would parse words, yes. but she would never outright lie. She could have lied, at any time. But she never did. Varina for the rest of her life would never say "Davis wore his own clothes".She would never say "Davis was brave that day, and protected the children".She would never say any such thing.She could have, maybe she should have, but she never would. _________________________________________Days after he told her to get herself killed rather than be taken alive, Davis ran away in her dress. He did not, as he would insist for the rest of his life, protect his children. As you will see from Varina's own letter, he was nowhere near his children. He was running away.The dress (yes, he wore her dress) was the least important part of the story. Who in US history tells their wife to get herself killed, then runs away for their own safety, regardless of what he wore?And - he wore her dress._______________________________________________Varina published her book after Jeff Davis death. The letter in which she revealed he ran away dressed in three layers of female clothing, she wrote a week after their capture. It was never her intention to embarrass Davis -- quite the opposite. Her intention was to protect his image as much as she could, given what he had done. Her letter was to the Blairs in Washington. She told the Blair's in the letter itself, to destroy the letter or it may embarrass him later.They did not destroy the letter.The Blair children, after their parent's death, after Varina's death, donated the letter and other memorabilia to Library of Congress in 1911. It apparently never occurred to her that the Blair's kept her letter, but they kept the letter._______________________________________________ The Blair family always knew Davis told his wife to get herself killed and ran away in her dress. It was not even debatable. Varina had told them -- both in her book, her letter, and very likely in even more detail, in person.

One thing about Varina -- she could bend a story not to embarrass Davis, and of course she had her own viewpoint of everything that happened., but she never would outright lie for him. This is what makes her book so fascinating and credible factually.

So when Varina wrote to the Blairs that she tried to convince the soldiers that Jeff Davis was her mother -- and that she held him close to protect him after he had run away -- then you can take that to the bank.Davis nephew's writing also confirmed Davis was dressed as a woman. The Union soldiers confirmed in their reports Jeff Davis was dressed as a woman. But no matter how he was dressed (he was dressed as a woman, head to ankles) he ran away leaving his wife and children in danger.And he told his wife to get herself killed.Yes, he did.

Yes. How do we know?

She told us.

It's important to know the CONTEXT of both Varina's book and her letter.Varina did not explain, in her book, that Davis told her to get herself killed in front of a group of folks, as they waited for the gold Davis wanted that was being collected by his men at that very hour.

The implication was that Davis of course would die too, rather than surrender. "It would bring shame upon the South," Davis told her according to people who were there "for a Davis to be taken alive".Davis was, in effect, giving a rah rah speech to the people surrounding them. He had been urging, for months, more and more attacks on the Union Army, never mind how nearly insane that was given that nearly 90% of the men had or soon would desert. Jeff Davis himself had explained already in a Macon speech, almost a year prior, that 2/3 of the Confederate soldiers had deserted or gone awol (one of the most amazing and stupid speeches ever given).Davis was running away from Richmond, after months of promising not to do exactly that. The speech was as macho as Davis could make it. He was, in effect, on stage, urging more and more fighting, but the fighting was always done by others.____________________________________WHAT ABOUT THE DAVIS CHILDREN?In fact, Davis in the speech made no mention of the lives of the children, that we know of. Should Varina surrender if it meant the children survive? Interestingly, while Davis would later insist he only surrendered himself (rather than fight to the death as he claimed he wanted to), that he was protecting his children at that moment and to kill the first Union soldier would almost certainly cause the death of his children.One tiny problem -- from his own wife, and his own nephew, Davis was nowhere near those children when he was taken alive. He had left them behind. He was running away for his own safety._________________________________

WHAT WOULD LINCOLN DO?Why the South, even 150 years later, can not admit Davis was a coward....No one in their right mind would think Lincoln would do such a thing, run away while his children were in danger. The fact Davis was dressed as a woman (which he certainly was) pales into insignificance when you know he ran away in his wife's dress while she and the children were in danger.Those who study LIncoln know he was actually shot at twice during the Civil War, not counting the bullet in his brain at Ford's theater. The first bullet was one that went through his hat near the "Soldiers Home" Lincoln was riding to from the White House. The other bullet killed the man standing next to him at Fort Monroe as Confederate forces tried a last assault on the US Capital.Lincoln did not even flinch, either time. He did not even duck. He stood watching the enemy. And he wore his own clothes.So to admit what Davis did -- is a bridge too far for Southern apologists, and the big reason Shelby Foote and others dare not admit the evidence against Davis showing his cowardice, not only from his wife, but his nephew.You can disbelieve the Union soldier's account of Davis garments and cowardice if you like -- but strange indeed that if they were lying, Jeff Davis wife and nephew found essentially the same lies and wrote about them at the time. What do you think the chances are that Jeff Davis wife and nephew conspired to align their stories to such a profound degree factually, if Jeff Davis were in his own clothes and acted bravely as he insisted?____________________________________

In fact, the dress is the least cowardly part of it.

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The dress was not so creepy - in fact it was the only way Davis could realistically get through check points, if he dressed as a woman. So he dressed as a woman.But telling his wife (yes he did) to get herself killed was creepy. "For a Davis to be captured alive," he told Varina, "would bring shame upon the South."

Southern leaders and historians are well aware of it. His wife's book and letter not only show it, but other documents by Davis's own family, and confirmed by Union documents, verify both his cowardice and his attire.So why is the "dress story" so roundly dismissed as "A newspaper thing"? Because that is what Davis and others insisted at the time. According to one historian, Davis was "obsessed" with "proving" he was not cowardly that day.Yet he was.

Then he ran away in her dress.

Varina Davis letter about Jefferson Davis

Varina wrote about Davis running away in female clothing (she would not candidly call it her dress).She herself tells the Blairs, in writing, that she tried to convince the soldiers that Jeff Davis was her MOTHER. She told the soldiers that Davis was her mother as she was holding him to her for his safety, according to her.Varina even told the soldiers to shoot her - Varina -- if they had to shoot someone, but to leave her mother alone!

The soldiers confirmed that, too, in their reports. That's what's amazing about Varina's letter, she validates the Union soldiers reports to an astonishing degree, and they validate her letter, likewise.

The Union soldiers were so close, one of them simply reached over, and pulled off his hood. It was not her mother.It was Jefferson Davis.

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Jeff Davis nephew said essentially

the same thing

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This is in addition to the Union officer's reports at the time. The union reports showed Davis as wearing a dress and running away, along with other details. (See below).

Varina actually spent much more time, in writing, talking about Jeff Davis garments than the soldiers did. They mentioned he wore a dress-- what color it was -- and they told how they let him change out of the dress.When Davis and his wife came out of the tent where he was allowed to change - Varina had on the dress Davis wore minutes before! You can't make this up. Apparently she did not want the soldiers to grab that dress as a souvenir NOT A NEWSPAPER THINGWhen you hear "experts" claim this was all Northern newspaper thing, remember this- they never tell you about the Union soldiers reports, never tell you about the nephew's journal, and never candidly show you Varina's letter.The "dress story" was not something anyone else made up. Varina's letter, the nephew's journal, and the Union soldiers reports all documented that Davis wore female clothing. Several layers of female clothing.____________________________________________

1) Davis was in women's attire and looked like a woman in that attire, until the hood was pulled back.

2) Davis running away, not protecting anyone.3) Varina told the world in her own book that Davis told her to get herself killed.__________________________________________________

____________________________________

FIGHT ON, FIGHT ON

(everyone but me, fight on).

Essentially Davis position was this. Everyone fight on, even his wife. Everyone but me.

He even ordered his soldiers to invade the North and capture free blacks in the North (yes he did).

Here is that order

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VARINA WOULD NEVER BACK HIM UP CANDIDLY

Varina Davis did all she could to save Davis -- save him from the soldiers, and save him from scorn for his cowardice.

She did both.

But Varina would never ever say he acted bravely that day.

She would never say he wore his own clothes.

In the next 50 years of her life, in her own book even, she would never say he acted bravely. Not once.

_____________________________________

Then she inexplicably blurts out -- "I SAID IT WAS MY MOTHER"

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WHERE DID DAVIS TELL HIS WIFE TO GET HERSELF KILLED ?

Davis told his wife to "force your assailants to kill you" while they were in Richmond, waiting for his men to round up as much gold as possible before they fled South. The gold is yet another thing Varina mentions in her amazing letter. Davis ran off with the gold from the Treasury -- and gold collected for the medical supplies.As horrible as that sounds -- why leave the gold in Richmond? It was sure to be found and taken by the Union.The point is, Davis waited for that gold -- and during the wait, he told his wife to get herself killed if she were about to be captured.He did this to show off for the crowd that was standing around them. He implied that he too would go down fighting, he would not be taken alive.He told his wife not to be taken alive.Then he ran away in her dress.The written record does not suggest it -- it overwhelmingly proves it. The records was written by Davis own wife, in her book, and in her letter.

___________________________

UNION SOLDIERS REPORTSOf course the soldiers reported what Davis had on, in official reports, and for the rest of their lives. But they did not elaborate on the dress itself, other than mention it as needed.Varina went into far more detail about the three layers of clothing he wore. None of them were his manly clothes.Why spend so much time and anguish going over details of his clothes, if they were his normal clothing? Why not just say "He wore his normal clothing"?And why say "I said it was my mother" if he had on his normal clothing?

_______________________________________It is not surprising -- or even unusual -- for folks to get history wrong. Just leave out a few basic facts, and you can make anything seem anyway you want.___________________________________

DAVIS SACRIFICED MORE THAN ANYONE

Davis was a master at blaming other. He left the war without a scratch, without being near danger, except when he was captured, and he ran away in his wife's dress at that time.600,000 men lay dead. Davis, who did more than any other single person to cause the war, had not a scratch on him. He was literally in his wife's dress, being held by her, at the final moment of the war. Davis would later claim he had "sacrificed more than anyone" for the cause of the Confederacy.Hundreds of thousands lay dead when Davis said that._______________________________________

Davis shown is a shaw -- which is incorrect.

Actually it was three layers of female clothing, covering him completely, so completely Varina tried to pass him off as her mother. The following drawing from the time is probably more like it.

DAVIS SAID NO SHAWL -- NO DRESS - ONLY HIS MANLY CLOTHES

Davis had this picture taken, above

to "prove" what he wore.

Look like three layers of female clothing to you?

Davis revolver and spurs.

The fancy boots and spurs gave him away.

Women did not wear spurs.

MORE AMAZING DAVIS STUFF

Here is something else you never hear about -- Davis promising to send Southern troops North and put all blacks in the North "back on the slave status" in perpetuity. It was his reaction to Lincoln's Emancipation proclamation, and a fine example of Jeff Davis egomania and eagerness to send others to fight and die -- but him? Not so much. Go on, read it. Amazing.Davis says from now on, any free blacks, North or South, are to be "placed back on the slave status" in perpetuity.

__________________________________

t.

" I SAID IT WAS MY MOTHER""..... he told me to force the enemy to kill me"

Davis running away in three layers of female clothing

_________________________________

_________________________________________________

_____________________________________________

This information has been readily available since 1906.

_______________________________

This is from the report to the Secretary of War, by Col Pritchard, who was there at the capture, and was there after Davis took the dress off, and his wife put the dress on (in a tent).

Yes, Jeff Davis wife put the dress (it was her dress) on after Davis took it off, undoubtedly to keep it from being taken as a souvenir. The soldiers did ransack and take much of the Davis personal effects.

BLACKS ARE LUCKY TO BE SLAVES

Did you ever heard of Davis claim slavery was a kindness?No. Did you ever hear he bought beautiful boys?No.

Remember that if your history teacher smugly tells you this was all a "newspaper" thing. Your history teacher would be wrong.

This is from a North Carolina paper...

This North Carolina paper has Varina and Davis in the the tent, at same time, before capture. According to this report, Varina was next to Davis, as they emerged from the tent, both trying to convince the soldiers Davis was her mother.

Varina's letter -- and she should know better than second hand reports -- has Davis running away, and the Union soldiers reported Davis was running away.

This bit of comedy was in a North Carolina paper, too.

_______________________________

TID BITS VIRGINIA STILL HATES VARINA _______________________________

Why some in the South -- SEEM to hate Varina, to this day.

One interesting thing I noticed while researching Varina Davis, was the loathing, just beneath the surface, for her by some in Virginia. Keep in mind Varina was very loyal to Davis -- saved his life, protected him from everyone, and while she wrote that letter, she had no idea it would be saved and published.In fact, in public Varina was as eager and resolute to protect Davis physically and save his reputation as it is possible to be. Remember, she did all she could for Davis. She was stunningly devoted to him. .................................ENCYCLOPEDIA OF VIRGINIA TRASHES HER!But watch how they trash her --- even if what they wrote was accurate, which it is not, it is baffling that an "encyclopedia" would do this to anyone. They called her, essentially, unattractive and a woman after Davis for his wealth. But their tone and personal cruelty to Varina is amazing, given the supposed "academic nature " of their publication.

They claimed she was homely, and suggested she lured a lonely Davis into marriage. They claimed she was "manifestly ill suited" for first lady of the South because she lived in the North!FUN FACT --- She lived in the North with Davis -- apparently they count DC as North. And though she lived with Davis in the North (DC) that's all it took for them to trash her. Where she lived!She did live in NYC after Davis died. And she did make friends with people in the North, after Davis died. How was she manifestly "ill suited" to be first lady, by things that happened 50 years LATER, and in her old age?

But that's how these guys work. They seem to claim this because she wrote to Northern relatives.Whoever runs the Virginia Encyclopedia savaged Varina in this article -- almost like a gossip or political hit piece rather than an encyclopedia.Her skin was considered "unattractive" they said! No, it was not, there is nothing in any letter, book, or newspaper at the time to say such a thing.She had very sensual skin -- Davis sure went after it. She was beautiful and young, half his age, and he was very thin scraney and frankly ugly. Bad skin, a horrible face.Robert E Lee's wife, she was homely. Yes, she was, even when younger. But no one dared say that about her. Varina was very attractive -- but they wanted to trash her, so that's how they did it.She looked rather Italian, a bit of Sophia Loren, likely, when younger. Body to die for, and obedient as a slave, to Davis. He got a young hot looking woman to do as he told her. And she did as he told her, for the rest of his life.Even if she was unattractive, which she was not, why mention that?

The article said her father was "unable to support his family". What evidence do they have? Who the hell puts this kind of hatchet job, in an encyclopedia?I would love to be a fly on the wall at Virginia Encyclopedia. You can be sure these guys hate her because she exposed Jeff Davis cowardice -- in a private letter - and later in life she realized how vile the South was. She would later say the right side won the war.That would piss off Virginia Encyclopedia folks for about 200 years.

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Connection between...

DAVIS CAUSE -

DAVIS CLOTHES -

DAVIS UNCOMMON VALOR -

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BELOW IS EXTRA STUFF WE ARE SAVING --- ignore...........................................Being questioned by Col. Pritchard, he stated there had been several mounted men to the house ring the afternoon, from a camp near the village, to purchase forage and provisions, and the camp lay about a mile and a half out on the Abbeville road. Placing the freedman in advance for guide, and directing the utmost silence to be preserved in the column, we moved out on the Abbeville road. The night was rather dark, but clear and very quiet. We marched the distance of about a mile when we halted and made the necessary arrangements for the capture of the camp when light was deemed sufficient to enable us to discern its situation.A detail of 25 men, under command of Lieut. Purinton, was sent to make a circuit of the camp and get into position on the road beyond, to station pickets, and take precautions for preventing the escape of the occupants in that direction, awaiting our advance and capture of the camp.We rested until the first appearance of the dawn of the morning of the 10th. The order was then quietly given to mount, and placing a small force under command of Capt. Charles T. Hudson, as an advance guard, with directions to charge forward upon the camp, our column moved in support. The charge was uninterrupted by any picket of camp guards, and we speedily entered and enveloped the camp by a surprise so complete that no one seemed to have been disturbed.The advance guard moved directly and quickly through the camp toward Lieut. Purinton's picket. Our main column halted for a minute in the road before entering the camp. On the right of the road, in line, facing a clearing or parade, stood three wall tents; beyond the clearing there was, what appeared to me to be, a swampy thicket; on our left, in the woods, at some distance from the road, was a miscellaneous collection of tents and ambulances. The extent of the camp could not, however, be distinctly seen from our position.At this moment some of our men appeared to be straggling from the column and Col. Pritchard directed my attention to it and to the care of the camp, and as he moved forward with the column through the camp, I rode out and took a position by the roadside until the column passed me. I then rode across the parade, in front of the wall tents, on the right of the road. I saw no one about the tents and there was nothing indicating who occupied them, until, as I passed the tents d started to move into the road beyond, I saw a man partially dressed, emerging from a "shelter-tent." I at once rode up to him and inquired what force was there in camp. He looked at me seemingly bewildered. Not hearing him reply to me, I repeated the question, and while lingering for a response, I was suddenly startled by a familiar voice calling.I turned and saw Andrew Bee, our "headquarters cook," who was standing close to the front of one of the wall tents and pointing to three persons in female attire, who, arm in arm, were moving rapidly across the clearing towards the thicket. Andrew called to me, "Adjutant, there goes a man dressed in woman's clothes." The person indicated was quite apparent, and I rode at once toward the party, ordering them to halt, repeating the order rapidly, they seeming not to hear, or not inclined to obey, until I rode directly across their pathway, when they halted. At that moment Corporal Munger, of Company C, came riding up from the thicket, and taking a stand in the rear of the party brought his carbine to a position for firing upon the man dressed in woman's clothes, at the same time applying to him an appellation that was in vogue among the troopers as a designation of "Jeff. Davis." I ordered the corporal not to fire, there being no perceptible resistance.The person in disguise was Jefferson Davis, and his companions were Mrs. Davis and her colored waiting maid. The scene thus presented was rendered pathetic by the cries of Davis' family at the tents and by the heroic conduct of Mrs. Davis, who placed her arms around the drooping head of her husband, as if to protect him from threatened peril; she made no other appeal to us.Davis had on for disguise a black shawl drawn closely around his head and shoulders, through the folds of which I could see his gray hairs. He wore on his person a woman's long, black dress, which completely concealed his figure, excepting his spurred boot heels.The dress was undoubtedly Mrs. Davis' traveling dress, which she afterwards wore on her return march to Macon. At the time of the capture she was attired in her morning gown and a black shawl covering her head and stately form, while her waiting maid was completely attired in black.Glancing from this party before me, and around the position, I was startled by the presence of several rebel officers who in the meantime quietly came upon the scene. The positions they had taken clearly indicated they were interested in the movement of their chief. I ordered Davis and his party to retire to their tents and then moved toward the rebel officers in question, requesting them to also retire. I was promptly obeyed.I directed Corporal Munger to guard Mr. Davis and his party in their tents, and to take two men who came up with him for that purpose. I then rode forward to report to Col. Pritchard the episode that had taken place. In the meantime spirited firing had commenced, and the usual evidences of an engagement with an enemy appeared in the direction our column had advanced.As I passed Davis' tent, in going to the front, Mrs. Davis called to me, and I dismounted to hear her request. She asked what we were going to do with Mr. Davis and whether herself and family would be permitted to go along with him. I informed her that I could not tell what would be done with any of them until I had reported to my commanding officer. She then very earnestly said that we must not interfere with Mr. Davis as he was a very desperate man and would hurt some of us. She further requested that I would see to certain things that she had in the wagon, and I promised to attend to thatAs I moved into the road I met one of our officers from the front with something from the wagon, in the shape of a canteen of most excellent fluid, of which he freely offered me a share. I mete Col. Pritchard just returning from an unfortunate conflict with the 1st Wisconsin Cavalry, that regiment having come upon our pickets and mistaking them for an enemy, retired and formed for a battle, which forced our column to form in line and skirmish with them, in the belief that we had met a force of the enemy. Col. Pritchard brought the engagement to a close by dashing into the lines of the 1st Wisconsin and notifying them of the mistake.The fact was that the 1st Wisconsin and the 4th Michigan expected to find a desperate force of the enemy; the 1st Wisconsin, however, was marching without any knowledge of the locality of the camp, and without any expectation of finding it at that time, having been in bivouac most of the night, a few miles from our picket.I reported to Col. Pritchard the capture of Jeff. Davis in his attempt to escape from the camp in female attire, and that I had put him under guard. In the meantime Mr. Davis put on his male attire - a suit of gray - and came out of his tent. When he saw Col. Pritchard he shouted out some inquiry, which he followed up with the old familiar charge, "You are vandals, thieves and robbers." He evidently had worked himself into a rage, for when I went to him soon after, getting the names of the prisoners, he refused my request for his name, and I was obliged to receive it from his wife, who spoke up proudly, in answer to my repeated question, "his name is Jefferson Davis, sir."The captured party consisted of Jefferson Davis, accompanied by Mrs. Davis and their three children; John H. Reagan, Postmaster General; Col. Johnston, A.D.C.; Col. Burton N. Harrison, Private Secretary, and Col. F.R. Lubbock, A.D.C., of Jeff. Davis' staff; Major V.R. Maurin, of the Richmond Battery of Light Artillery; Capt. George V. Moody, Mollison's Light Artillery; Lieut. Hathaway, 14th Ky. Infantry; privates W.W. Monroe and F. Messick, 14th Ky.; privates Sanders, Ingraham, Wilbury, Baker, Smith, Heath and Alliston, of the 2d Ky. Cavalry; privates J.H. Taylor and A.W. Brady, Co. E. 15th Miss., private J.W. Furley, 13th Tenn., all of the late Confederate States army, and midshipman Howell of the Confederate navy, Miss Howell, a sister of Mrs. Davis, accompanied her. There were two colored women and one colored man, servants of the Davis family. Of the three children of Mr. Davis' family, the youngest was a babe and quite a favorite in our command (once on the march I saw it handed along the line); the oldest child was a little girl about ten years of age, and the other child was a boy of about seven or eight years. There was also with the party a little colored lad about the same age as young Davis, and the two created considerable amusement for us by their wrestling exercises. Burton N. Harrison, the Private Secretary, was the gentleman of whom I sought so diligently to elicit information immediately preceding the capture.There was not the slightest show of any resistance on the part of any of the captured party, and they were all kindly treated by their captors. That their wagons and tents were searched thoroughly, I have no doubt. Lieut. James Vernor obtained a trophy of Davis' wardrobe, a dressing gown, which he exhibits, but whether Davis wore it as part of his garments at the capture is not known. It might possibly have been worn under his disguise.Their horses were all taken by our men and considerable sums of money in gold were captured. The gold was taken, as I understood from Col. Johnston at the time, in the holsters of the rebel officers, where it had been carried for safety and convenience. Who captured the gold is somewhat of a mystery to this day. At the camp, immediately after the capture, Col. Pritchard was informed that one of our men, a Tennessean named James H. Lynch, was possessed of most of the coin and the Colonel searched him but found none of the gold; afterwards it is well known that Lynch distributed several pieces of gold coin among his companions and gave a few pieces to some of his officers. It is certain that the coin was never equally distributed.In preparing for the return march their horses were all returned to the prisoners, and Mr. and Mrs. Davis and family were allowed the use of the ambulances, which they occupied most of the time on our return march.On the 12th of May, returning, we met Major Robert Burns, A.A.G. of Minty's staff, from headquarters at Macon, who brought to us President Johnson's proclamation, offering rewards for the capture of Jeff. Davis and other fugitives. The proclamation was the first intelligence we received of the assassination of our President, Abraham Lincoln, and of the reward. I have now in my possession the copy of the proclamation which was handed to me at that time. It was issued on the 2d day of May, 1865, was published to the Cavalry Corps, M.D.M. at Macon, on the 8th day of May, 1865, and reached our command, as I have said, on the 12th day of May. Mr. Davis was securely guarded during our return march. Perhaps his guard was more strict than it would have been had he not given notice that he would make his escape if possible.Before reaching Macon, Col. Pritchard received orders to make a detail form his regiment in readiness to take his prisoners to Washington, and after we reached camp, he proceeded upon that service and conveyed Jeff. Davis to Fortress Monroe.The Secretary of War directed Col. Pritchard at Washington to obtain the disguise worn by Jeff. Davis at his capture, and Captain Charles T. Hudson undertook to procure it from Mrs. Davis. In his account of the affair, Capt. Hudson has related in a letter to Major-General J.H. Wilson, that Mrs. Davis stated to him that she attired Mr. Davis in her own dress, and she surrendered a certain garment which Col. Pritchard afterward described in his report to the Secretary of War as a "waterproof cloak or dress." Though I did not examine the texture of the dress worn by Davis at the capture, and cannot say whether it was waterproof or not, it was beyond all question a "woman's dress," and precisely like the dress usually worn by Mrs. Davis after the capture during our march back to Macon. I am very sure that not any gentleman's garment that could be described as a waterproof cloak was found or seen in the possession of Davis at his capture, or while on the march to Macon.Burton N. Harrison, Jeff. Davis' Private Secretary, in his paper in "The Century," November, 1886, on this subject, states that Davis was not disguised at all, and that he wore a waterproof cloak which he usually wore on the march; and by further statement seeks to discredit other witnesses present at the capture, by assuring the public only one of our troopers was present there, the one who accosted him, and that he and Mrs. Davis and that one trooper, were the only persons who saw Davis at his capture; when the fact is, that while Davis was standing in his disguise in my presence, three of our troopers saw him, besides Andrew Bee, who pointed to Davis as "a man dressed in woman's clothes;" and there was present not more than two rods from the disguised figure, Capt. Moody and within about four rods from him, Col. Lubbock and other Confederate Army officers, who doubtless saw what took place.My record of the event was made at the time in the line of my duty, and I then correctly and officially reported the fact of his disguise to my commanding officers.